When it comes to having rules for how political candidates can raise money, Hawaii’s got it covered, according to the State Integrity Investigation.

The state got a B, or 86 percent, grade for Political Financing, earning Hawaii 3rd place among 50 states. Only Connecticut and Rhode Island scored higher. Wyoming came in last.

Overall, the State Integrity Investigation ranked Hawaii 10th after Civil Beat reporters researched 330 “Corruption Risk Indicators” across 14 categories of government. (Click here to learn more about the methodology used for the project.)

Bottom line: The law clearly spells out donation limits and disclosure requirements candidates must abide by. (Whether those limits are low enough will be tackled in a separate question later this week.)

Here’s the basis for the 100-percent grade that contributed to the overall 86 percent score for political financing. It’s your turn to evaluate whether Civil Beat got it right and to share what you think should be done to improve the situation. Share your comments at the bottom of this story.

Here’s the second question of six the State Integrity Investigation asked about political financing.

Are there regulations governing the financing of individual political candidates?

Overall score: 100%

Here are the criteria Civil Beat used to answer that question and what Civil Beat found.

1. In law, there are limits on individual donations to political candidates.

Notes: Yes, there are limits on individual donations to political candidates. For instance, the contribution limit to a candidate for four-year statewide office is $6,000, to a candidate for four-year nonstatewide office is $4,000, or to a candidate for two-year office is $2,000.

Sources: Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 11 Elections, Generally, Part XIII. Campaign Finance, E. Contributions; Prohibitions; Limits, §11-357, Contributions to candidate committee; limits. Visit http://capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0011/HRS_0011-0357.htm for details.

Score: 100%

Scoring criteria: These are the scoring criteria for this question.
Yes: A YES score is earned if there are any limits on the size of individual contributions to political candidates. A YES score is also earned if individual contributions are prohibited.
No: A NO score is earned if there are no limits on contributions from individuals. A NO score is also earned if limits are applied by the government on opposition candidates in a discriminatory manner.

2. In law, there are limits on corporate donations to individual political candidates.

Notes: Yes, there are limits on corporate donations to individual political candidates. For instance, the contribution limit to a candidate for four-year statewide office is $6,000, to a candidate for four-year nonstatewide office is $4,000, or to a candidate for two-year office is $2,000. The Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission considers corporations as individual donors.

Sources: Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 11 Elections, Generally, Part XIII. Campaign Finance, E. Contributions; Prohibitions; Limits, §11-357, Contributions to candidate committee; limits. Visit http://capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0011/HRS_0011-0357.htm for details.

Score: 100%

Scoring criteria: These are the scoring criteria for this question.
Yes: A YES score is earned if there are any limits on the size of corporate contributions to individual political candidates. A YES score is earned if corporate contributions are prohibited.
No: A NO score is earned if there are no limits on corporate contributions to individual political candidates. A NO score is also earned if limits are applied by the government on opposition candidates in a discriminatory manner.

3. In law, there are limits on donations from political action committees to individual political candidates.

Notes: Yes, there are limits on political action committees to individual political candidates. Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission says the law has typical limits that everyone has to abide by. For instance, the contribution limit to a candidate for four-year statewide office is $6,000, to a candidate for four-year nonstatewide office is $4,000, or to a candidate for two-year office is $2,000.

Sources: Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 11 Elections, Generally, Part XIII. Campaign Finance, E. Contributions; Prohibitions; Limits, §11-357, Contributions to candidate committee; limits. Visit http://capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0011/HRS_0011-0357.htm for details.

Score: 100%

Scoring criteria: These are the scoring criteria for this question.
Yes: A YES score is earned if there are limits in size on contributions by political action committees to individual political candidates. A YES score is also earned if contributions are prohibited.
No: A NO score is earned if there are no limits on contributions from political action committees. A NO score is also earned if limits are applied by the government on oppositional political candidates in a discriminatory manner.

4. In law, legislators are prohibited from the personal use of campaign contributions.

Notes: The state law prohibits state legislators from using their campaign funds for personal expenses.

Sources: Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 11 Elections, Generally, Part XIII. Campaign Finance, G. Expenditures, §11-382, Prohibited uses of campaign funds. Visit http://capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0011/HRS_0011-0382.htm for details.

Score: 100%

Scoring criteria: These are the scoring criteria for this question.
Yes: A YES score is earned if there are regulations that explicitly prohibit the use of campaign contributions for personal ends.
No: A NO score is earned if no such regulation exists.

5. In law, there are requirements for the disclosure of donations to individual political candidates.

Notes: Candidates are required to disclose names and addresses of those contributing more than $100 during an election period. The reports are available on the state’s Campaign Spending Commission’s website at (http://hawaii.gov/campaign/view-reports/candidateviewreports).

Sources: Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 11 Elections, Generally, Part XIII. Campaign Finance, D. Reporting and Filing with the Commission, §11-333, Candidate committee reports. Visit http://capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0011/HRS_0011-0333.htm for details.

Score: 100%

Scoring criteria: These are the scoring criteria for this question.
Yes: A YES score is earned if there are any requirements mandating the disclosure of financial contributions to individual political candidates.
No: A NO score is earned if there are no requirements mandating the disclosure of contributions to individual political candidates, existing regulations do not require a donor’s name or amount given, or the regulations allow for anonymous donations.

6. In law, there are requirements for the disclosure of donations to individual political candidates from corporations.

Notes: Corporations are required to file a report to the state Campaign Spending Commission for contributions to political candidates totaling more than $1,000 each two-year election period.

Sources: Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 11 Elections, Generally, Part XIII. Campaign Finance, D. Reporting and Filing with the Commission, §11-332, Filing report by corporations. Visit http://capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0011/HRS_0011-0332.htm for details.

Score: 100%

Scoring criteria: These are the scoring criteria for this question.
Yes: A YES score is earned if there are any requirements mandating the disclosure of donations to individual political candidates from corporations.
No: A NO score is earned if there are no requirements mandating the disclosure of donations to individual political candidates, existing regulations do not require a donor’s name or amount given, or the regulations allow for anonymous donations.

7. In law, there are requirements for the disclosure of donations to individual political candidates from political action committees.

Notes: Candidates are required to report contributions totaling more than $100 during an election period. Noncandidate committees are also required to file a report making a contribution totaling more than $100 for an election period.

Sources: Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 11 Elections, Generally, Part XIII. Campaign Finance, D. Reporting and Filing with the Commission, §11-333, Candidate committee reports. Visit http://capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0011/HRS_0011-0333.htm for details.

Also see §11-335 Noncandidate committee reports. Visit http://capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0011/HRS_0011-0335.htm for details.

Score: 100%

Scoring criteria: These are the scoring criteria for this question.
Yes: A YES score is earned if there are any requirements mandating the disclosure of donations to individual political candidates from political action committees.
No: A NO score is earned if there are no requirements mandating the disclosure of donations to individual political candidates, existing regulations do not require a donor’s name or amount given, or the regulations allow for anonymous donations.

8. In law, there are requirements for the independent auditing of the campaign finances of individual political candidates when irregularities are uncovered.

Notes: When the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission hears complaints or finds anything suspicious, then they will investigate. The commission can only look at what people report, but they will follow up if they find irregularities, according to executive director Kristin Izumi-Nitao. The commission tries to do as thorough a job as possible, she said.

Sources: Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 11 Elections, Generally, Part XIII. Campaign Finance, B. Campaign Spending Commission, §11-314 Duties of the commission. Visit http://capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0011/HRS_0011-0314.htm for details.

Score: 100%

Scoring criteria: These are the scoring criteria for this question.
Yes: A YES score is earned if there is a legal or regulatory requirement for the independent auditing of an individual candidate’s campaign finances and expenditures when financial irregularities are uncovered. The auditing is performed by an impartial third party.
No: A NO score is earned if there are no legal or regulatory requirements for the independent auditing of an individual candidate’s campaign finances and expenditures when financial irregularities are uncovered. A NO score is also earned if such requirements exist but allow for candidates to self-audit.

9. In law, there is an agency or entity that monitors the financing of individual political candidates’ campaigns.

Notes: Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission monitors reports that come into their office for any violations. When the commission hears complaints or finds anything suspicious, then they will conduct an investigation. They also have the authority to enforce campaign finance laws and conduct random audits when necessary.

Sources: Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 11 Elections, Generally, Part XIII. Campaign Finance, B. Campaign Spending Commission, §11-314 Duties of the commission. Visit http://capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0011/HRS_0011-0314.htm for details.

Score: 100%

Scoring criteria: These are the scoring criteria for this question.
Yes: A YES score is earned if there is an agency or set of agencies/entities formally assigned to monitor and enforce laws and regulations around the financing of individual political candidates’ campaigns. A YES score is earned even if the agency/entity is ineffective in practice.
No: A NO score is earned if there is no such agency or entity. A NO score is also earned if this monitoring is solely carried out by the media and CSOs.

10. In law, there are limits on lobbyists’ donations to individual candidates.

Notes: There are limits on lobbyists’ donations to individual candidates. Lobbyists are considered individuals by the state Campaign Spending Commission. During an election period, lobbyists are limited to donating $2,000 to a candidate for two-year office, $4,000 to a candidate for four-year nonstatewide office, or $6,000 to a candidate for four-year statewide office.

Sources: Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 11 Elections, Generally, Part XIII. Campaign Finance, E. Contributions; Prohibitions; Limits, §11-357, Contributions to candidate committees; limits. Visit http://capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0011/HRS_0011-0357.htm for details.

Score: 100%

Scoring criteria: These are the scoring criteria for this question.
Yes: A YES score is earned if there are limits in size on lobbyists’ contributions to individual candidates. A YES score is also earned if lobbyists’ contributions are prohibited.
No: A NO score if there are no limits on contributions from lobbyists. A NO score is also earned if limits are applied by the government on opposition parties in a discriminatory manner.